Stolen Time
by Dooba
Summary: Bella is like that boy from that movie. She sees dead people. So she moves to Forks, Washington. Because in a small town, there can't be as many ghosts wanting her attention, right? Right.


_I wrote this originally for the Straight Thru the Heart Contest. But I had some issues with the way they treated my story (changing it without my permission) and much drama ensued. My identity was leaked and I was deleted and blocked from their contest. I sat on this story for a year, hating it because of everything that happened. And I'm not over it apparently, since I feel the need to still hash out what happened then. I donated this story to a charity instead: authors for endometriosis. And now I'm releasing it here. Not the best I've written, but Momduckie convinced me not to cmd+backspace the whole thing. So, here it is. Stolen Time. Warts and all. For everybody who believes in true love._

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You know what they say about dying, right? Countless witnesses who came back from death have told stories about there being a tunnel with brilliant light at the very end of it.

Well, I can tell you, it's pure nonsense. There is light, of course, but there is no tunnel. That's just a trick on the eyes. But I'll get to that later, maybe. First, let me introduce myself.

Hi, my name is Bella Swan, and I'm a medium.

Not one of those tricksters who make money off poor, unsuspecting people, but a real one. Or, as one famous boy in a certain movie once put it: 'I see dead people.'

Yep, that's me.

Oh, I'm also a senior at Forks High, now nearly graduated. On the weekends, I work at Newton's outfittery. In my free time, I sometimes venture out to where the voices of the other world lead me. I refuse to ask for money for guiding wandering spirits to the light and to be honest, my weekend job at Newton's pays well enough. Also, almost nobody here knows about my sixth sense, which means I am not shunned in the small minded community that is Forks, Washington.

Not that I care. I mean, hearing voices all the damn time makes it hard to go on a date or even try my hand at a relationship. And no, I am not schizophrenic. I know doctors thought I was, for a very long time. Until, at twelve years old, I was able to tell my psychiatrist where his wife had hidden their secret savings along with a goodbye letter he'd apparently never found. The doc declared me healthy and the white coats stayed off my back.

The voices however, did not stay out of my head.

I've never known anything different, really. From a very small age, I saw appearances and heard voices all around me. Sometimes it was worse than others - especially in places where people tend to die unhappily, like hospitals, or where many people gather - basically any public place. See, ghosts tend to linger around those they loved in life, especially when there's unfinished business involved. If there's lots of people somewhere, you can be sure it'll be crowded with spirits, too. Not that they'd know - spirits are unaware of each other's existence.

Anyway, I digress.

Spirits are usually drawn to me because they sense I can communicate with them. I thought everybody had invisible friends like I did, until one day at school I learned that it is, in fact, really not normal to have so many people visiting you at night. I was never scared of them - if anything, they made me feel safe, guarded.

My mom, Renée, found it all extremely exciting when I told her about the man who was standing at the foot of my bed at night. He sang me a lullaby, always the same one, and when I sang that song for my mom, all the blood drained from her face. Apparently it had been her father who made that song up and sang it to Renée every night until he died. My mom pelted me with questions I tried my best to answer, and she was a mess of tears and smiles by the time we were done. The man hung around for a while after, but when I figured out how to guide him to the light, my mom was devastated. Apparently she would've liked him to hang around a while longer.

Yeah, that's kind of a no go with ghosts. You need to let them go. If you don't, they get stuck, which frustrates them, which is how horror movies came to exist.

Mom started bringing people home who hoped I could help them make contact with a loved one, and thinking back I think she made a pretty penny off that, too. When it turned out I can only make contact with spirits that have lingered here, her interest started to fade really quickly, and I was able to focus on things like homework and how to make it through a school day without having at least fifteen ghosts pulling at my sleeve for my attention. So to speak, I mean - most of them know it's a bad idea to move shit around when others are watching.

For my senior year however I wanted more peace and quiet, so I moved to my dad Charlie in Forks. I hoped that the small community would have less baggage, so to speak, and a smaller high school would certainly help me be able to focus. Also, my dad didn't buy all the 'psychic babble bull crap' so I could be very sure it would never be a topic of conversation over dinner.

Not that I saw a lot of him anyway. We were a lot alike in the sense that we liked our alone time, and so we only had dinner together three times a week when his rotation allowed it. He worked a lot of night shifts and I was at school during the day. In exchange for letting me stay with him I cooked, cleaned and kept the fridge stocked up.

And my year in Forks has been… interesting. I'd love to tell you all about it.

After I'd settled in and found my job over the summer, I found I was quite nervous about starting school. I knew one guy there at least - Mike, the Newton's son. A cocky, arrogant boy who had tried to sweet talk me into his bed ever since we met. I think the fact that my dad was a cop had some influence on the way he never quite crossed that line of 'too far', but damn did he try.

I was determined to make new friends at school, preferably people who weren't already in Mike's circle. Otherwise I'd be dealing with him for six days a week, and I wasn't sure how long my sanity was going to be able to handle that.

I drove to school in my truck, an orange monstrosity that I'd paid for with my own money, and I was damned pleased with the thing even though the mileage sucked and I was probably going to have to pay more on maintenance in the first month than I paid for the entire thing to begin with. But who cared - it was mine, and it meant I was free to move in and around Forks. Even Charlie seemed to understand my need for independence - I was my mother's daughter, after all.

It was raining on my first day, which I understood was not a rarity in this part of the States. With a whopping hundred days of sun a year, I better start investing in a rain coat and storm umbrella. Luckily I got staff discount at Newton's. I was going to need it.

The school was small, and although my head was buzzing with the many whispers of students as well as spirits, I was relieved to find there weren't many entities here at all. The quiet was going to be absolutely awesome, and I wanted to smile at the prospect alone. I kept my face neutral however - no need to be labeled a lunatic even before I'd set foot inside the school.

Around me, people were greeting each other after the long summer break, but the atmosphere seemed so subdued to me, somehow. I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the weather already rubbing off on me - I didn't know. But to me it felt as if not just the clouds were grey that day.

Shrugging it off, I went to the office to get registered and get everything going. Mrs. Cope, who handled administration, got my papers in order.

"Here you are, dear. Just have this slip signed in every class. Jessica Stanley will be your buddy for the first few days, to help you find your way around the school and such. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!"

I returned her chipper smile a little less enthusiastically and found my way to the first classroom, where a bouncy - seriously, she was _bouncing_ \- Jessica was waiting for me.

"Hi! You're Isabella, right? I'm Jessica. I'm your buddy for the week, but I can already tell we'll become real friends!"

I nodded, trying to unobtrusively scan the room around me. There was only one spirit, an older man who seemed content to linger near a boy - probably his grandson. No pressing matters there, and I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

The hours until lunch break went quickly - people were generally nice and the teachers were welcoming. At lunch Jessica took me to 'their' table. Her circle consisted of Ben, Lauren, Angela, Eric, and, to my dismay, Mike.

"Oh I know her," he said, implying he knew me much better than he actually did, of course. "She works at my dad's store. And it's Bella," he said, correcting Jess's introduction of me as Isabella. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at his words. It was easy to see he was trying to stake a claim on me.

"Well, welcome to Forks High, the high school where nothing ever happens," Angela said. I liked her immediately - she was soft spoken and polite, and she was easier to be around than Jess.

"Well, almost never," Eric said, just as quietly.

"That was last year. Are you still not over that?" Lauren snapped, voice harsh.

"Hey, guys, let's just ask Bella how she likes it here so far, shall we?" Ben said, focusing on me. "Your dad's the sheriff, right?"

"Yep."

"Must suck. Can you get away with, like, anything at all?" Jessica asked.

"I like him. It's nice of him to let me stay here to finish school," I said, effectively shutting her down.

"It really is," Angela said.

Our conversation was cut short when as one, people turned towards the door of the cafetaria. The people who walked in could've been taken from the cover of any magazine, they were so outrageously beautiful. They weren't smiling however. If anything, they were huddled close together, gazes turned downwards.

"Who are they?" I wondered.

"Those are the Cullen kids," Jessica said. "Let's see, the pixie is Alice, and the big dark haired guy is her brother Emmett. The others are Jasper and Rosalie. They were adopted."

I noticed that near the entrance, a guy had lingered. Even from the side, his profile was stunning, with a regal nose and a high forehead. He seemed too young to be a senior, his flawless face topped by a mop of unruly, auburn hair.

"And who is he?"

"Who?" Jessica asked, trying to follow my gaze.

"That guy over there, by the door? Is he with them?"

Jessica frowned, looking from the door to me. "I don't know who you are talking about, Bella. There is nobody by the door."

Her words shook me out of my stupor and ice raced down my spine when I realized my colossal mistake. My eyes went wide and I looked back at Jessica, trying and failing to smile. "He must've moved. Sorry. I've seen so many new faces today they're starting to mash up in my brain."

"Right," Jessica said, not quite convinced. "So, wanna hang out after school?"

"Sure," I replied, distracted. When the conversation moved on to what everybody had done over the summer, I let my gaze wander again.

The guy I'd seen at the entrance was now standing at the table where the Cullen kids were sitting, looking at them with a soft look in his eyes. When he sensed me looking at him he met my gaze, and it was as if lightning struck me. The intensity of his eyes swept over me, and it felt as if he was looking straight into my soul. He seemed just as shocked as I was, his perfect mouth falling open as his hand came up as if to reach out to me. His presence was so _clear_ , so strong, that it was hard to tell the difference between his form and that of the real people in the room. I knew there was a lot of love tethering him to this place.

I also knew that this was just about the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. His brows were thick, and long lashes framed brilliant green eyes. He was tall, I could tell that even from my spot at the other side of the room. I drank in the sight of him, and his gaze never wavered, either. His eyes roamed over my face hungrily, and I sucked on my lower lip at the heat that bloomed in my guts. The rest of the world seemed to fade as the sudden desire to feel his hands all over my skin washed over me, the feeling unfamiliar to me but certainly not unknown. I was half on my way to getting to my feet to get over to him and touch him when the bell rang and I was pulled from my stupor.

"Come on, we only have Biology left and then Gym," Jessica said. "Are you okay, Bella? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

It took a few days for me to see the guy again. I found myself scanning the cafeteria every time I stepped in, hoping to catch a glimpse of that beautiful face. I couldn't get those intense eyes out of my head and knew that I needed more of him in my life. Meanwhile, I hadn't worked out a way yet to ask after this mysterious person. "Hey, who died?" really isn't appropriate when you know that someone actually passed away.

Talking to the Cullens hadn't been an option so far either. They stuck to themselves and it was clear they were still in the middle of their grief. I didn't want to bother them with some lame hey-I'm-the-new-girl excuse, either.

And then, at the end of my first week at Forks High, I saw him again. He was waiting near the main entrance of the school building, looking over at the Cullen kids as they walked over to go inside. As if sensing I was looking at him, his gaze locked with mine, and the same electrical buzz I had felt on the first day started running through my veins.

From his looks, I gathered that the dark haired guy was a brother to Alice and Emmett. He wasn't as bulky as his bigger brother, but he certainly wasn't small, either. He took more to Alice in his appearance, from what I could tell.

We just stared at each other for a long moment, and even from a distance I saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. The movement was ridiculously sensual and I couldn't stop staring. He seemed as mesmerized as I was and after a while, he lifted his hand tentatively as if to wave. I couldn't wave back if I didn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention, so instead I just smiled, hoping nobody would see me but him.

By then, his siblings had caught up with him and he went inside with them after a long, lingering gaze at me. As soon as the eye contact was broken my mind started going a mile a minute - I had to get in touch with him, let him know who I was and what I could do for him. Also, I needed to get to know _him_.

Figured that my first ever crush would be on a ghost.

Yay, team.

Friday night found me home alone - dad was on one of his many night shifts - and I was mulling over the possibilities on how to get in touch with the Cullens without rising suspicion. Since my dad didn't have internet installed at his home yet - _honestly_ , how did that happen in this day and age? - and my cell reception was crappy at best, I didn't have a chance to google the Cullens to shed a light on what happened to their brother.

Instead, I figured I could do the next best thing; ask the living and breathing database of knowledge that was Charlie Swan. After all, as the sheriff he would have a good idea of what was happening around town.

I staged the conversation carefully. I made breakfast with scrambled eggs and bacon, fresh orange juice and some pancakes for me, and was relieved to find dad in a good mood when he came home from work. He grunted his approval at the feast I'd prepared and sat down with his newspaper, ready to dig in.

"Hey, dad?" I started carefully, knowing I would have to get his attention before he was too engrossed in his paper to be disturbed.

"Hmm."

"What do you know about the Cullen family?"

At this, my dad looked up. "Why you wanna know?"

"Some of their kids are in my classes. I was wondering why they all look so sad."

"You noticed, huh," he said, and in his eyes I could see a flicker of suspicion - even if Charlie drowned any knowledge of my gift in the river of Denial, he hadn't forgotten about it. I stayed silent - sometimes it was best to wait him out.

"Their brother, Edward, he died last may. Flu gone bad. Unbelievable that this still can happen. His dad is a doctor, for crying out loud."

"How did that happen?" I asked, stunned.

"The infection spread to his brain and by then there was nothing they could do. The entire town was devastated. He was a genius, that guy. Would've gotten into Harvard, for sure."

"That's horrible," I whispered. The news of his death shocked me. He couldn't have been older than seventeen. I pictured his face as I'd seen it in the cafeteria and suddenly I knew what I had seen in his features - bare naked longing, so strong it made a shiver run down my spine.

I made up my mind then and there - I was going to help Edward Cullen finish his unfinished business here on earth.

Also, while I was at it, I'd like to get to know him, too. My desire to get involved with him was so overwhelming I couldn't ignore it. I didn't even want to.

I needed to come up with a plan that would get me closer to him. Luckily, fate had plans for me, as I was teamed up with Alice in Biology for a project that was going to take us six weeks. We worked together during the first lesson, sharing the microscope and filling out the sheets, and I found she was a genuinely nice person to be around. When I looked up from my notebook, I saw Edward standing close to the table, looking down at us. I shot him a careful smile when he gave me one, and he visibly relaxed after that.

It wasn't until the second week of the project however that I found an opportunity to get to the Cullens' house. It seemed easy - I'd just ask Alice if we should meet up after school to continue working on our project.

"Sure," she said. "I can come over to your place. No problem."

Telling her I'd rather go to her house would seem suspicious, so I kept my mouth shut. Damn. Plan thwarted. However, having some time with her away from her siblings and other classmates did give me the chance to talk with her some more.

I waited until we were settled on the couch in my dad's living room, both with a cup of tea, before I broached the subject.

"So, um, I just wanted you to know I know about your brother," I said. "My condolences."

At that moment, I saw Edward appearing from the corner of my eye, as if he knew he was being spoken about. He hovered close, tentatively, as if he was unsure of his welcome, yet at the same time I could feel how we both relaxed in each other's presence.

"Yeah," Alice said, looking down at her mug. "It's still so painful."

"I know," I said. While I hadn't lost anyone close to me, I'd seen enough spirits and their loved ones left behind to be intimately familiar with loss and mourning. "I'm so sorry for your loss. He sounds like a great guy."

She looked up at me, vague surprise coloring her face, when she heard me using the present tense. "He is. He was my big brother, you know? I always looked up to him."

"I'm sure he's very proud of you," I said. When I glanced over Alice's shoulder, I could see Edward nod vigorously. "Hey, is there anything you'd like to tell him? I'm sure he's listening."

"No he's not," Alice said with a sad sigh.

"How do you know?"

She blushed a little, ducking her head. "I went to see a medium a few weeks back? This woman in Port Angeles - I found her on a website. She said Edward was with her in the room and she told me all sorts of crap that wasn't true. He couldn't have been there."

"Or the woman was a fake," I tried carefully. "There's a lot of frauds out there."

"I don't think ghosts exist," Alice said. "I should let it go."

"Regardless, what would you say to him if you got the chance?"

Thankfully, Alice didn't resist my pushing. She looked into her now empty mug of tea as she spoke. "I'd say I was sorry for being angry with him just before he became sick. And that I'm sorry I didn't know he was going to die. I would've spent more time with him then."

"Is she kidding? She was at my bed constantly," Edward said. He'd moved closer and I could see him kneeling next to Alice, arms reached out as if to comfort her. But he couldn't touch her and I could see the frustration on his face. "Don't beat yourself up over that, Alice. Christ, nobody knew I wasn't going to survive."

A single tear appeared and slid over Alice's cheek. I gave her a tissue I'd kept close just in case, and she accepted it gratefully.

"If he'd been here, what would he have said?" I asked.

"That I shouldn't blame myself for this," she said, a weak smile appearing. "Probably something about how I was glued to his side anyway."

"Don't you know it, pixie sister," Edward said, smiling himself now. "What I'd give to hug you one last time."

Alice couldn't hear him, of course, and I wish I knew a way to let her know that Edward was here in the room with us. But I didn't have a good enough read on her yet to know if she'd accept it, especially since she'd been lied to by another so-called 'medium.'

"I have to get going," Alice said, placing her mug on the table. "I'm so sorry for putting my grief on you. You didn't even know him."

"I'm always glad to listen," I said honestly. "If you want to freshen up, bathroom is left of the stairs."

She nodded and slipped out of the room, and I focused on Edward, who was now staring at me.

It was as if I could finally exhale. "Hi."

"Hey. Bella, right?"

His voice was so low it felt like a caress down my spine. Like crushed velvet, soft as silk.

"That's me."

"I've never seen anyone more beautiful than you."

"I will convey your messages," I said, blushing. "No need to chat me up for that."

"I mean it," Edward said. "Looks like I died too soon."

"You died too soon anyway. How old are you, seventeen?"

"Would've been eighteen last June."

"I'm so sorry," I said.

"It's okay. It's… nice here. I mean, I don't like not being able to talk to anyone, but at least the pain is gone, you know? As is my depression."

"I'm glad," I said. "But you're not supposed to stay here, you know that right? There's another place for you." Even though I'd be loath to see him go.

Edward frowned, thinking. "I know. But there's something keeping me here. I can see the light, but I'm unable to go there."

"We need to figure out what that is," I said. We both looked into the direction of the bathroom when we heard the toilet flush. Then, as if on cue, our eyes met again, and I could drown in his gaze. We stared at each other, drinking the other in, until Alice came walking back into the room.

"Thanks for listening," she said. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

I walked her to the door and we said our goodbyes. Just as I was about to close the front door, I heard Edward's low voice so close to my ear it made goose bumps race over my skin.

"Goodbye, Bella."

His breath felt cool on the tender skin of my neck and I shivered, hoping that Alice hadn't noticed how my hair had moved as he tucked a strand of it behind my ear.

It was in the middle of the night when something woke me. Groggy, I leaned up on my elbows to try and figure out what it was. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness and my heart skipped a beat when I saw a figure standing next to the window. I flicked on my light, half expecting the shadow to disappear, but instead I recognized Edward. He bit his lip when he met my gaze, a glimmer in his eyes.

"Hello, Bella."

I raked a hand through my hair, knowing I must look hopeless and hating that he'd caught me sleeping. "What are you doing here?"

"It wasn't my intention to be a creep or anything," he said quickly. "I just… I needed to be closer to you."

I was awake instantly. And I was totally on board with that plan. When I met his gaze again he held it, and the rest of the world seemed to disappear as he looked into my soul. Without me needing to ask him he came closer, sitting down on the bed next to me. Although the mattress didn't dip under his weight, I could feel the heat of his body burning against my leg.

Frowning, I reached out to touch him. My mouth dropped open in a gasp when I felt his body solid under my hands. He was just as surprised as I was and leaned into my touch, eyes falling closed as he reveled in it.

"That never happened before," he whispered. "It takes me so much energy usually to move anything around or create contact." He opened his eyes again and lifted his hand. "May I…?"

I nodded and his hand came up to cup my cheek. His hand was warm against my skin and I couldn't help but move my face into his touch. I'd never been touched by a spirit before - they'd never been able to go further than fleeting touches Edward's hand was warm against my cheek and every nerve ending was attuned to the soft skin of his palm.

"So pretty," he whispered. "Have you any idea how beautiful you are?"

My cheeks heated under his praise and I ducked my gaze. "Stop saying that. Honestly."

"It's the truth," he persisted. "I've never seen anyone like you before."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and pulled back his hand. His gaze was hot as it roamed over my face. Hungry.

"I came to talk," he said lowly. "But right now, I don't feel like talking anymore."

"Tell me more about you," I said, trying to break the sudden tension that sizzled between us. "So I can help."

He took a deep - unnecessary - breath, and chewed on his lip for a moment before he started speaking. "Well, I died a few weeks before my eighteenth birthday. I was a good student, enjoyed school. Bit of a nerd, perhaps, much to my brother Emmett's chagrin."

"And you were going to go to Harvard, right?"

"Yeah, medicine. How do you know?"

"Charlie told me - my dad," I clarified at his questioning gaze.

"Right. I'm kind of sad I never got the chance, you know? But where I am now, emotions aren't all that important anymore. It's hard to explain."

"You're just happy, I think," I said, thinking back to conversations I'd had with other spirits. "You watch life with a sort of dissociation. You must've died peacefully though, for you to be so calm right now."

A wistful look appeared on Edward's face. "I was really sick, and everything hurt so, so bad. I just wanted it all to be over. And then it came to a point here I know that if I stopped fighting, I would float away. I didn't have the strength anymore to hold on. I wish I could've said goodbye, though. My mom found me in the morning. She was distraught."

"It must have been so hard for her," I said. "Is there anything left unsaid between you?"

Edward shook his head. "I don't think so. We all got along really well. I'm not sure what's keeping me tethered here."

"We'll figure it out," I said. I suppressed a yawn.

"I'll go now and let you sleep," Edward said. "Is it okay if I come back sometime? I really enjoy talking to you."

"Sure," I said with a smile. "Anytime."

Edward returned my smile, nodded once, and then surprised the hell out of me by pressing a kiss to my lips. With a wicked grin he pulled back and vanished, leaving me incredibly wound up and frustrated, and unable to fall asleep.

As I lay awake, my lips tingling at the memory of his kiss, I tried to figure out why Edward was unable to move on, if there was nothing in his family that hinted at strife or other unfinished things that needed to be taken care of. Maybe he was hanging around to see his siblings safely off to college, but I thought that was a far stretch - spirits don't tend to hang on to earthly things like that.

As my mind went over our conversation again and again, I couldn't help but picture his face with his intense green eyes and unruly hair. I felt the heat of his touch linger, his lips still ghosting over mine. Oh, if only he'd been alive. I would've loved to go out on a date with him. But he wasn't, and I was pretty sure that had he still been around, he never would've noticed me to begin with.

That quick kiss had been amazing, a hint of something I wanted more of, but could never have. It was a sad reality to fall asleep with, and I spent the next few days at school burdened with the sadness that I had come to Forks too late.

It was Saturday night when Edward visited me again. I was up late reading, and I smiled when I felt the familiar change in temperature that notified me of the presence of a spirit. I dog-eared the page of my book and sat up straighter in my bed, welcoming him with a smile.

"Hello, Bella," he said, sitting down at the edge of the bed.

"Hey, yourself."

"I've done some thinking," Edward said. "I still don't know why I am still here, but you're the only one I can touch." As if to demonstrate, he placed his hand on my leg and I could feel the pressure as well as his body heat seep through the blanket separating us.

"I've thought about that, too," I said. "I've encountered countless spirits before, but nobody was ever able to touch me for longer periods of time."

"It feels good," he said shyly. "To be able to touch, I mean."

"I can imagine."

He met my gaze then, and it was as if time came to a halt. His eyes flicked to my lips when I licked them nervously, but then they were back up again and he leaned in, carefully, giving me every opportunity to back away had I wanted to. Thing is - I didn't want to. I _wanted_ to kiss him, had wanted it since the first time I saw him in the cafeteria, and wanted it more after the quick taste he'd given me the other night. I closed that final distance between us and pressed my lips to his.

It was like electricity. It buzzed through my veins, heating me up from the inside out, stroking my skin in the best possible way. I lurched forward and he deepened the kiss, his hand coming up to cradle the back of my skull. He crawled into my space, pushing me back against the mattress, and I let him move me, reveling in his weight on top of mine, his hands as they caressed my temples, my cheeks, cupped my jaw.

His leg slotted in between mine, and I could feel his hips as they pressed up against my pelvis, creating a delicious friction that had me breaking our kiss to let out a gasp. Edward moved his kisses to my jaw, sucked little nips down my throat and then pushed the blankets down as he went lower, his hands snaking under my shirt to push it up and over my head.

I was reckless, delirious, but I had never felt anything so wonderful as this and judging by Edward's urgency, he felt the same. Our clothes disappeared gradually until only our underwear was left. As if by unspoken agreement, we left that last bit of clothing on, opting instead to touch each other everywhere else, placing kisses wherever we could reach, until I came apart under his hands first and he followed me soon after.

We lay entangled in each other afterwards, his strong arms around me and my head resting on his chest. What just had happened was amazing, and not just because Edward was a spirit. I felt a connection I'd never felt with anyone before, not even with the few guys I'd dated with back in Arizona.

Edward stroked my arm with featherlight touches, smiling at the gooseflesh that followed in his wake. "You're amazing," he mused, kissing the top of my head. "I can't believe I only now found you."

"Do you think you'd have noticed me had you still been alive?"

"Of course I would've," he said, almost indignantly. "Are you implying I am only here because you're the only one seeing me?"

"Well, I know I'm nothing special…" I said carefully.

He moved so quickly I had trouble following his movements, and then he was hovering over me, boxing me in with his strong, long limbs. His show of dominance thrilled me and my heart sped up, beating heavily in my chest.

"Bella, you're exquisite," he said, driving his words home with a long, hot kiss. "Don't let anybody ever tell you otherwise."

I looked into his eyes and felt heat bloom in my tummy. "Okay," I whispered. For some reason, I suddenly felt strangely emotional. "Okay."

He kissed the tip of my nose, his fingers toying with my hair. "Good," he said, apparently satisfied. "Now sleep, or you'll be exhausted tomorrow."

"What's happening tomorrow?" I asked, curious. As far as I knew, I had zero plans for the day but to binge on hot chocolate and read _Wuthering Heights_ (again).

"Alice is inviting you over," Edward said. "I'm hoping we can find a way to let my family know I'm still around."

"We can certainly try," I said. "But if they're not open to it, I am not pushing it. They are hurting enough already."

"Don't I know it," he said, his voice turning sad. "But we'll figure something out. I'm sure of it."

That night, Edward held me as I slept. It was a bit weird, knowing that he was awake all night and privy to all my snuffles and snores, but at the same time I'd never felt safer before. I felt like I had come home for the first time in my life.

The next day, sure enough, Alice texted me to ask me if I wanted to come over.

The Cullens were all very welcoming. Their dad, Carlisle, was a good-looking, good-natured man who worked in the city hospital. Esme, the mom, had such a strong mother-vibe around her that for a moment, I missed my own mom so badly I had to swallow through the sudden lump in my throat. Emmett and Jasper had gone out for the day, but Rosalie was home. I had come to know her as a bit stand-offish at school, but she greeted me with such a warm smile that I knew my first impression of her had been incorrect.

I found Edward standing near a grand piano, and butterflies buzzed in my stomach as his eyes met mine. He smiled, and I had to work hard to stay composed. I shifted my gaze away, to the picture of Edward on the piano. "Is this him?" I asked, keeping up appearances.

"Yes," Alice said. "He was my twin, but you can't really tell. He played so beautifully, though."

Esme excused herself to get us some drinks, and I walked with Alice to the living room. The house was big, and stunning, but the sense of loss seemed to be oozing out of its pores.

We sat down in the living room and worked on our Biology project for a while. Edward hovered nearby, teasing touches at my exposed nape when my hair had fallen forward or caressing my back. His presence was comforting but I knew he was trying to get me worked up - and he was succeeding. The heat in my body bloomed and I wondered if I should excuse myself to the bathroom for some stolen minutes with my spirit lover. There was nothing I could do to tell him to leave me alone - and to be honest, I didn't want him to stop, either.

Then Rosalie joined us, breaking the tension I definitely felt, and we chatted a little about school and our future plans.

"Tell her not to give up on her love for cars," Edward suddenly said close to my ear. His words caught me by surprise so much my head whipped around into his direction, and I froze immediately, knowing my mistake.

I looked over at the other girls to see if they'd caught my reaction, and met Rosalie's wide-eyed gaze.

"He's here, isn't he," she said bluntly.

"Oh, Rose, don't do that," Alice huffed. "Please."

Rosalie frowned at Alice but never took her eyes off me. "Isn't he?"

"I…" I began, not sure how the hell to broach this subject. "What would you do if I said yes?"

"I knew it," she said, her voice soft. "I _knew_ it." Her eyes got wet and a tear slipped out. "I've felt him around since he passed and thought it was just crazy thinking. But you can feel him too. Tell me you can."

"I can," I admitted, noticing how Alice's jaw dropped. "He's here with us right now."

"What the fuck, Bella?" Alice snapped.

I ducked my head, uncomfortable. I didn't want to push my gift onto people who didn't want anything to do with it, and I couldn't blame them. Just then, Esme came walking in.

"Alice? I heard you shouting. What's going on?"

"She says she can see Edward," Alice spat. "Next thing we know she's going to ask for money to convey some messages."

"She'll calm down," Edward said. "She's just really upset right now."

Yeah, I could tell.

"Tell her about that time she fell when she was five. She busted her knee and I put leaves on it to make it better. I had no idea it was poison ivy back then and we ended up both having a rash."

As I relayed the story to Alice, her eyes grew steadily wider and her breathing stopped completely. "How did you know?"

"Edward just told me."

"So he's really here?" she asked, disbelieving.

"He is. He's standing right next to you. He's sorry he died on you," I said, telling her what Edward was telling me. "He knows you were upset with him for canceling your plans to go to Port Angeles because he was sick. But he doesn't mind. He forgives you."

"Oh." It was Esme, who was clutching Rosalie's hand, the other hand in front of her mouth. "Can you really communicate with him?"

"Yes ma'am. I saw him on my first day of school here, but I wasn't sure how to let you know."

"Tell him I love him," she said.

"He knows. And he can hear you."

Esme looked into Alice's general direction, where I'd told them Edward standing, and straightened her shoulders. "I love you."

"I know, mom. I'm so sorry I left you behind."

As I relayed Edward's words, tears spilled over.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, with Carlisle and later on Jasper and Emmett joining us, and I told them everything Edward was telling me. He drug up memories that made them all laugh and even told them funny things like how he'd seen Emmett sneak out of bed at night the week before to polish off all the cookies Esme'd baked the previous day. Even though the atmosphere was incredibly emotional he was radiant, so happy to finally be able to talk to his family, and I couldn't help but smile seeing him so pleased.

I left their house way later than I'd originally planned, happy to have been able to help but ready to go home and catch some sleep, too.

"Come visit us anytime," Esme said as she gave me a hug at the front door. "He must be so happy having you to talk through now. He would've liked you had he still been alive, too. It's so sad he never was able to love anyone before he died. He had so much love to give."

"Thank you ma'am. It's my pleasure to be able to help you out like this."

As I drove home I mulled over Esme's words, and suddenly it clicked.

 _I was Edward's unfinished business._

By loving me, he was fulfilling the last task he had to do here on earth.

By the time I got home, Dad had left for his night shift at work and I trudged up the stairs, tired, already chucking off my clothes on my way to the bathroom. I let out a shocked gasp as I felt hot fingertips on the bare skin of my back and I turned around as strong arms came around me in a warm embrace.

"I know why I am here," Edward said after he'd kissed me breathless. "It's you."

"I know," I said, looking up at him, happy but still incredulous. "You never got the chance to love anyone."

"That's it," he said, leaning down to kiss me again. He cradled the back of my head in his big palm and I felt sheltered, safe in his arms.

"So how do you suppose we fix it?" I asked as he walked me backwards into the direction of my bedroom.

"Oh, I have an idea," he said, promptly ducking down to suck a bruise into my neck. I moaned, arching into his touch. "I'm just going to love on you until I have nothing left to give. And judging by how I feel right now, that's going to take a long, long time."

He kissed me again and started unbuttoning my jeans.

I smiled against his lips and weaved my fingers through his silky hair. I wasn't sure how much time we'd be given together, but I knew that for however long we had each other, it would be the best time of my life.

* * *

 _fin_


End file.
